Ideas
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3 February 2012264Die Zeit Hamburg
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27 January 201224Süddeutsche Zeitung Munich
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19 January 201267De Morgen Brussels
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13 January 201225The Guardian London
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Nationality
Multiple citizenship, way of the future
11 January 201216The Economist London -
10 January 20128Financial Times London
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Interview
Geert Mak — Reconquering Europe
9 January 20127NRC Handelsblad Rotterdam -
Bailouts
Against all the rules
6 January 201252Die Zeit Hamburg -
Eurozone crisis
Will the EU end up like Yugoslavia?
5 January 201267Politika Belgrade -
30 December 201119Télérama Paris
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Interview
Andrzej Stasiuk’s European lesson
26 December 201112Wprost Warsaw -
Eurozone crisis
Iceland is our modern Utopia
23 December 201139Público Madrid -
20 December 201134El País Madrid
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15 December 201124Die Zeit Hamburg
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14 December 201121Die Zeit Hamburg
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Eurozone crisis
Farewell sweet sovereignty...
8 December 201117El País Madrid -
2 December 201113Der Spiegel Hamburg
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European Union
Give democracy a chance
1 December 201130The Guardian London -
Eurozone crisis
Panic – hottest all-time business model
30 November 201114Berliner Zeitung Berlin -
29 November 201117Aftonbladet Stockholm
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Debate
Crisis tears us apart
29 November 20117The Irish Times Dublin -
Who’s afraid of Germany? (5)
Europe – an awfully wonderful family
25 November 201119Die Zeit Hamburg -
Who’s afraid of Germany? (3)
Goethe, in technocrat’s clothing
23 November 201115Der Spiegel Hamburg -
European Union
A revolution from above
23 November 20115Libération Paris -
Who’s afraid of Germany? (2)
Europe sprechs German now
22 November 201110Berliner Zeitung Berlin -
Eurozone crisis
What have the Dutch ever done for us?
18 November 201113De Volkskrant Amsterdam -
Debate
Why Europe needs enemies
17 November 20118Hospodářské noviny Prague -
Debate
In defence of technocrats
17 November 201110The Guardian London -
Eurozone crisis
Europe against the people?
11 November 201123The Economist London -
Eurozone crisis
Technocracy is no way to go
7 November 20116Il Sole-24 Ore Milan -
Greek referendum
Democracy has junk status
2 November 201118Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung Frankfurt -
Austerity Europe
The cynicism of Greece’s elites
21 October 20115The Guardian London -
Opinion
Democracy – an inventory
14 October 201116El País Madrid -
Germany
Spare us this Euro Newspeak
7 October 20111Süddeutsche Zeitung Munich -
Debt crisis
Beware the saviours of the euro
5 October 20117Der Freitag Berlin -
Pirate party
Children of Marx and Microsoft
20 September 20115Süddeutsche Zeitung Munich -
Eurozone crisis
Europe returns to national identity
16 September 201115The Guardian London -
Political fiction
Three Eurozones are better than one
16 September 201112De Volkskrant Amsterdam -
9/11, 10 years on
The East rises over Ground Zero
9 September 20112The Guardian London -
Eurozone crisis
Time to get angry, Europe
31 August 20116Der Spiegel Hamburg -
25 August 201110Die Welt Berlin
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Political fiction
A brave new superpower
22 August 20115Le Figaro Paris -
Poland
Poles apart from reality
18 August 2011PresseuropGazeta Wyborcza -
End of the line for the euro 4/4
Shanghai endgame
17 August 20111Le Monde Paris -
End of the line for the euro 3/4
Wall Street's harsh judgment
16 August 2011Le Monde Paris -
End of the line for the euro 2/4
Trundling towards doom
14 August 2011Le Monde Paris -
End of the line for the euro 1/4
Berlin gets ready to leave the euro
12 August 201110Le Monde Paris -
Debt crisis
Are there any leaders out there?
8 August 20115The Guardian London -
Debate
Human horror, in cold blood
1 August 20111Corriere della Sera Milan -
25 July 20118The Daily Telegraph London
“Hitler”, “Occupying Power" – it’s always the same. Berlin is asserting its stance on the euro crisis and, in turn, is being abused with comparisons to the Nazis. Die Zeit ponders how Germans should respond. 
It is the madness that has become self-evident: for years, the public sphere has been plundered and democracy ruined. The German writer Ingo Schulze has had enough. Here he sets out ten reasons to take himself seriously again. 
European leaders have used the threat of war to justify policies undertaken to save the euro. But this argument no longer works, argues Dutch philosopher Paul Scheffer. The hearts and minds of Europeans must be won with valid arguments. 
While most Scots reject a complete break with the UK, they favour a form of autonomy which would include powers to raise their own taxes. The reluctant English should accept this, argue Simon Jenkins. 
In an increasingly globalized and racially mixed world, it's natural to have multiple identities. That's why states should loosen up naturalisation rights and grant the right to vote more easily, says The Economist. 
As the financial crisis continues to ravage the West, the dominant ideology of all triumphant free-market liberalism is collapsing. But what new political trends are emerging, and which will succeed? asks Gideon Rachman. 
What’s in store for project Europe this year? A community under the supervision of a strong European Commission or a decentralised intergovernmental system, advocated by the Germans? Dutch historian Geert Mak has painted a bleak picture for the future of the European Union. 
He who makes mistakes must pay the price. Ever since the crisis erupted five years ago, this key law of the market economy has been trampled on. Politicians must now decide between prosperity and morality, writes Die Zeit. 
Seen from Belgrade, Zagreb or Sarajevo, the economic and institutional crisis that has struck the European Union has a certain air of déjà-vu. Serbian daily Politika remarks on the similarities with the years preceding the break-up of the federation founded by Tito. 
Literature, philosophy, science: today, our tools for understanding the world are developing separately, regrets the renowned intellectual and humanist. However, culture remains a saving grace, particularly in Europe. 
Why do the Germans and the Poles have a hard time getting along? How does one recognise a Pole? Is there a way to help Germany better "dominate" the EU? A hard to pigeon-hole Polish writer provides some leads. 
In rejecting by referendum a bailout for their toxic banks and the repayment of external debt, the citzens of Iceland have shown it is possible to escape the laws of capitalism and take control of one's destiny, writes a Spanish historian. 
The integration of Europe has allowed the Old World to prosper, but the journey has cost it some of its soul, regrets the Spanish philosopher Rafael Argullol. It's not too late to affirm the values that make Europe strong – but it has to be done quickly. 
The politicians of Europe love to flourish the flag of Community togetherness. But in their day-to-day politicking they give the lie to their supposed virtues. The second part of Die Zeit's list of national egotisms that are harming the Community. 
The politicians of Europe love to flourish the flag of Community togetherness. But in their day-to-day politicking they give the lie to their supposed virtues. Die Zeit has compiled a cheat-sheet of national egotisms that are harming the Community. 
If approved by the Twenty-Seven, the fiscal union proposed by Angela Merkel and Nicolas Sarkozy would be a decisive new stage on the path to European federalism. But are all willing to pay the price: the surrender of the budgetary autonomy of states? 
Jürgen Habermas has had enough. The philosopher is doing all he can these days to call attention to what he sees as the demise of the European ideal. He hopes he can help save it -- from inept politicians and the dark forces of the market. 
Is the EU turning into an empire ruled by Germany? For German sociologist Ulrich Beck, we should take advantage of this widespread and much discussed fear to establish a new organisation for the Union, based on a real community of citizens. 
Fear, alarm, apocalypse: moods rather than facts steer mankind, writes futurologist Matthias Horx. This holds true for the eurozone crisis as well. 
A new Europe threatens to emerge in the shadow of the crisis: a continent dominated by despondency and a defiance of politics that that has paved the way for a resurgence of nationalism and Islamophobia. These are much more serious dangers than national debt figures, writes Aftonbladet. 
Debt and austerity are the new reality for most Europeans. But for some, such a situation is an opportunity to turn a fast profit. In such a context, how can we still talk of nations and society? asks Irish columnist John Waters. 
A family with strict parents, black sheep and tough love: that’s today’s Europe, says an editor at Die Zeit, who sends out a call to defend the historically unprecedented culture of solidarity. 
What Germany’s leadership of the EU means isn’t very clear – least of all to the Germans themselves. A Spiegel columnist looks for the answer in two books, wandering between the lost soul and the genius of the country. 
Political changes in Greece, Italy and Spain have highlighted how European leaders have upset the balance of power between society and the state and politics and the economy. French philospher Etienne Balibar points out that these developments have overlooked the role of citizens. 
“Europe is speaking German,” trumpeted CDU deputy Volker Kauder. Just let’s not overdo it, warns the Berliner Zeitung. An association of free democracies should look a bit different. 
In the current crisis, the Dutch tend to pontificate about the citizens of ill performing countries like Greece and Italy. But as recession now looms, they should keep in mind that their prosperity isn’t just due to their own virtuousness. 
Nothing better than an enemy to forge a common identity. But the adage of the nineteenth century doesn’t quite fit the current crisis. Only by changing their relationship to power can Europeans unite and overcome the crisis, says a Czech editorialist. 
The appointments of non-politicians Lucas Papademos and Mario Monti in Greece and Italy has caused much ink to flow. But on the continent, experts have often played a positive role in politics in times of deep crisis, points out a Guardian editor. 
Efforts to save the euro cannot run against the will of the voters indefinitely, writes Charlemagne of the Economist. 
Governments of “experts” proposed in Italy and Greece could be good at taking emergency decisions, but would deepen European citizens’ diffidence towards ever more indirect democracy. To avoid this, politics must reclaim its role. 
He who submits a vital issue to a referendum is a public menace to Europe. This has been the message from the markets – and since Monday night, from the politicians too. 
After two days of massive strikes and street battles, Greece seems to be edging ever closer to the brink. As European leaders gather this Sunday in a last ditch bid to save the euro, a Greek author condemns the national elites that have brought his country to this juncture. 
After the demonstrations in Greece and the Indignados in Spain, popular protest has spread across Europe and, with the Occupy Wall Street movement, crossed the Atlantic. Be it direct or representative, the very idea of democracy is under scrutiny, says José Ignacio Torreblanca. 
The German expression for “bailout funds” is “euro emergency parachute”. An easy way to grasp the complexities of Eurozone financial mechanisms, but a metaphor running out of steam, argues columnist Axel Hacke. 
If the European project is to be saved, then it's time to stand up to the likes of Chancellor Merkel and President Sarkozy who are promoting a union of democracy deficit, tax competition and social dumping, argues a German author. 
They demand transparency and direct democracy, and almost one in ten voters in Berlin gave them their vote. The Pirate Party is no longer just a party for Net-nerds in hoodies, but represents demands from across society. 
The looming Greek default has brought an arrogant and overbearing EU to a turning point. And a return to a national dimension is the outcome we can look forward to, writes a British columnist. 
There is no denying the reality: Eurozone countries are so different that there will be no common exit to the current crisis. The solution, argues a Dutch economist, is to divide states using the single currency into three groups governed by different rules. 
We have spent the years since the attacks on US soil focusing on the terrorist threat and wars in Afganistan and Iraq. But we have been blind to the real global change : the slow but unstoppable rise of China, writes Timothy Garton Ash. 
The European common currency is in trouble, several EU countries are facing mountains of debt and solidarity within the bloc is declining. It is European youth, in particular, who have drawn the short stick. Closer cooperation is the only way forward. 
A Europe long at peace is once again a seething continent. In France, Greece and Spain crowds of youths are out demonstrating against their situation, and in London they have reduced neighbourhoods to rubble and ashes. What is going wrong here? wonders a German columnist. 
Le Figaro's fictional series "The world in 20 years" begins with the view from Europe. In 2031, the launch of a European flagship inaugurates an age of shared defence and marks the final move in a "great awakening" that began fifteen years before. The Union is a superpower at last. 
In the last episode of the political fiction published by Le Monde, a journalist for the Wall Street Journal finally catches up with the source of the document that has rocked the Eurozone and sowed panic in stock markets all over the world. 
Le Monde's fictional series about the demise of the single currency continues. Gathered around guru George Soros and the former European commissioner Mario Monti, the leading lights of international finance consider the critical situation of the euro, which has been brought about by the ineptitude of European leaders. 
Le Monde's fictional series 'The end of the euro” continues. After the German constitutional court invalidates the euro stability mechanism, the 27 member states seem resigned to the idea that one of their number will default. Charles Leesby of the Irish Times finds himself attending another midnight conference on the fate of the euro … 
On the night of his re-election, Nicolas Sarkozy learns that Angela Merkel is about to be overthrown by a faction in her party that wants to leave the euro. A short time later, Germany’s constitutional court invalidates the euro stability mechanism. In this political fiction, Le Monde examines a possible scenario — which may be more likely than it seems — for the end of the single currency. 
Faced with the euro crisis, world leaders look at best paralysed and at worst irresponsible. But a situation this serious needs heads of government who can take the bull by the horns. 
Beyond the political delusions that pushed Anders Breivik to assassinate more than 70 people, it is evil in it most imbecile form that was revealed by his actions, says Italian writer Claudio Magris.
There is nothing in the mind of Norway’s mass killer that needs studying. Instead of rationalising his deeds, we'd do better to ignore his narcissism and puerile ideology, writes columnist and London's mayor Boris Johnson.